Quick Synopsis: 12 different YA authors write 12 different holiday love stories. None of them have anything to do with the rest of the book.

Wow, that was a bad synopsis. It’s just hard to write one for a book that has 12 different stories, ya know? I digress.

This review is going to be a little different. Seeing as to how it is multiple stories, this review will consist of 12 mini reviews for each respective story, in the order that they appear in the book.

“Midnights” by Rainbow Rowell: ★★★★★
This one was absolutely adorable! The story takes place over several New Year’s Eves. I love Rowell’s writing style. It’s so easy to read and relate to. Her main characters are also just so absolutely swoon worthy.

“The Lady and the Fox” by Kelly Link: ★★★✫✫
I was really confused in the beginning. The book went from a magnificent story to a confusing mess. I honestly still don’t really understand who some of the characters were or what their relationships were. However, near the end it gets pretty cute and has a magical quality that earns it a (rounded up [2.5 to 3]) rating.

“Angels in the Snow” by Matt de la Peña: ★★★★✫
I loved this one! I’m not going to lie, I had never heard of Matt de la Peña but after this story, I want to read more of his work. Being a Latina, this story really really spoke to me. I even cried.

“Polaris is where you’ll find me” by Jenny Han: ★★★✫✫
This one was a very cute and very original idea. I just didn’t really like the ending. It was one of the shorter stories and also, so easy to read.

“Your Temporary Santa” by David Levithan: ★★✫✫✫
A really cute story that just felt a little “meh” to me. It was an adorable set up but I just couldn’t get past how much I didn’t like the 12 year old sister and how she didn’t come off as 12 years old, but more like 15-16. I also thought the ending was a little strange..

“It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown” by Stephanie Perkins: ★★★★★
So so so adorable. This story was a perfect way to get someone into Perkins. You seriously can’t read this story without wanting to read every other book she’s written. LOVE.

“Krampuslauf” by Holly Black: ★★★★✫
I loved this one too. It was a story I never heard before and it truly made me want to read more of Holly Black’s writing. It was so highly interesting. Needless to say, I loved the magical qualities to it.

“What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?” by Gayle Forman: ★★★★★
Another amazing one. It was tremendously easy to relate to and written so beautifully. Some of you may know this, but I am in an interracial relationship and this story really really spoke to me. It captured it all so well. Loved it.

“Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus” by Myra Mcentire: ★★✫✫✫
I just didn’t really feel this one. I couldn’t identify with any character. I though it was cute enough but I just didn’t respond well to it. It was just kind of there. And I’m still a little confused as to what happened to one of the characters.

“Welcome to Christmas, CA” by Kiersten White: ★★★★★This one took me a bit to get into but when I got into it, I got into it. It was adorable and so heartwarming, I teared up. I’ve also never heard of Kiersten White but, wow, do I want to read more of her work.

“Star of Bethlehem” by Ally Carter: ★✫✫✫✫
I think it says a lot that I don’t remember too much from this story…

“The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer” by Laini Taylor: ★★★✫✫
This is a another magical one. I had heard a lot about this one and it was a good read but I wasn’t in love with it. I thought this story was a little over hyped on the booktubes/book blogs.

Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5 because it was amazing. Even the stories that felt a little off, were good. This book serves as a perfectly well written sampler of these fantastic YA authors you may or may not heard of. Recommend to the fullest!

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One thought on “My True Love Gave to Me”

I wish I knew this book at Christmas period. I was so desperate for a festive and romantic book.
I have you say it’s the best review I have read for this book. I really liked the fact that you reviewed separately the stories.